Kaiser Wilhelm II reportedly had a secret mission of turning British and French military prisoners of Muslim faith into jihadist loyal to Germany. While held captive, the prisoners lived in relatively opulent surroundings (for POWs) and were given everything necessary to practice their faith.

This jihad-plan was the brainchild of German aristocrat and diplomat, Max von Oppenheim, who had traveled extensively and studied the east. Oppenheim believed that it was possible to coordinate a propaganda plan to rally a mass-Muslim uprising against the allies.

Oppenheim convinced the Kaiser that the Islam faith could be a secret weapon and Wilhelm vowed to “inflame the whole Mohammedan world” against the French and British, The Telegraph reported.

To cement his plan, the Kaiser signed a secret treaty on August 2, 1914 with Sultan Mehmed V to establish a political alliance between Germany and the Ottoman Empire.

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Tracy Wholf joined NewsHour Weekend in 2013 as an associate producer and frequently appears on the show as a correspondent covering environmental, educational and cultural stories. She previously worked as a producer and researcher for the TV news magazine program Dan Rather Reports where she earned her first Emmy nomination for a story about human rights issues in Afghanistan. Prior to working in journalism, Tracy spent 10 years as a musical theater performer and danced with the Las Vegas company of “Mamma Mia!” for a year. She is an alumnus of Northwestern University and Columbia University.